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“Oh my God,” I breathe, hardly able to believe my ears.
“Hello again,” she greets Conner.
“I hope it’s okay I’m here. I’ve been having cravings for more of those cakes.”
Hilary blushes, and I roll my eyes. “You were supposed to go home,” I scold him.
“I gave Remi a ride to the auto shop and then had the urge for coffee and cake.”
My eyes narrow. “That’s all you came for?”
I wouldn’t put it past Cole to ask him to come keep an eye on me.
Just then, my purse vibrates. I pull out my cell phone and scan the message.
Cole: If Conner becomes a nuisance just let me know and I’ll cut him loose.
Irritation floods me, but it quickly melts away. Cole sent him. He couldn’t be here himself, so he sent Conner. I want to be mad, but I can’t.
“The boyfriend?” Hilary asks and Conner snickers.
“It’s complicated,” I say again.
But I’m beginning to wonder if it really needs to be.
“Grab a seat,” she says to Conner. “I’ve been experimenting with new flavors and I think you could be just the person I need to test them.”
“Hell yeah.” He beams, dropping into the first available chair. The shop is much quieter on a Friday afternoon, people preferring to drink and eat at one of the lavish restaurants or bars littering downtown Sterling Bay.
“Seriously?” I raise a brow and he shrugs.
“What?”
“Forget it,” I grumble. “I need to work.” Waving him off, I go to walk away, but his voice gives me pause.
“Come tomorrow, Hads. Please.”
I suck in a shaky breath. Of course he had an ulterior motive for being here, to crack my resolve until I say yes.
“Say yes, you know you want to. It would mean so much to—”
“Fine.” The words leave my lips in a puff of air. “I’ll come.”
The second I say it, the tension melts out of my body, and I realize Remi is right. Life is short, and we’ve both already been through so much.
Maybe it’s finally time to put the past behind us.
“I’m so excited you’re here.” Remi says as we take our seats in the Falcon Field stadium. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Butterflies flutter wildly in my stomach as I desperately search the field for Cole. Ace and Conner flank us, with James and Sarah on the other side of Conner. Pride radiates from them. This is a big deal for Cole, we all sense it. But it feels even more important given the fact that two weeks ago he overdosed. I don’t know what’s happening with Colton U, I haven’t talked to him about it, and Remi and Conner say they don’t know anything. So this game could be vital for his future.
“My heart is beating so hard,” I admit to Remi.
She grabs my hand and squeezes it. “He’s going to be so pumped that you’re here.”
I didn’t tell him. When I’d texted him earlier to wish him good luck I didn’t tell him I was going to be here and he didn’t ask. I want to surprise him, to show him that I’m also prepared to fight for us.
“Maybe I should have told him?” My eyes find him, drinking in the sight of him warming up with his teammates. He, Hayden and Aaron jostle each other, the three of them laughing.
“You made the right call. He’s going to be blown away when he realizes you’re here.”
